Rhode Island taxpayers are now being told that they will need to pay $132 million over 30 years for the Pawtucket soccer stadium. For just the construction of the stadium, taxpayers will be paying $27 million. This stadium is now likely going to be the “most expensive minor league soccer stadium in the country”. When the new stadium was first announced in 2019, the state agreed to give $27… Source ..read more

A few days ago, I wrote a story on several recent examples of teams negotiating with cities (or themselves) in private until the very last minute. This is almost always when the public is required by law to know about the plan. Yet not even a week after writing that story, I see yet another shining example of this type of sports dealing. Last week, the city of Alexandria pulled out of negotiations… Source ..read more

This is not going to shock anyone. Sports owners hate when their plans are released and looked at intensively by anyone. Have you ever tried to read one of them? Try taking a look at the “Potomac Yard Economic and Fiscal Impact Study” from the failed Capitals/Wizards to Alexandria, Virginia proposal. The agreements are nearly impossible to read and understand unless you read these types of… Source ..read more

The Kansas City Royals lost yesterday. Local taxpayers decisively rejected a sales tax plan that would have provided funding for a new ballpark and stadium renovations (for the Chiefs). Clearly, the public said no thank you to funding another billionaire owner’s venue while receiving nothing in return. Why couldn’t locals see that this deal was worth it? The Royals committed nearly every blunder… Source ..read more

Last year, a new developer, Vernon Krause, began openly talking about bringing the NHL back to Atlanta for the third time. In his vision, there would be a new 20,000-seat arena and a $2 billion “mixed-use development featuring hotels, retail, residential components”. The name of this area would be called the “Gathering at South Forsyth”. After constructing the arena, the following would occur… Source ..read more

A member of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce wants everyone to know something. The newest proposal by the Rays is “good” for the area. How? Well, according to the author, building this ballpark would “attract businesses and provide high-quality jobs”. Beyond that, did you know that the current ballpark brought a “positive atmosphere” to downtown Tampa Bay? Then he claims that the Rays are… Source ..read more

It is 2016. Local leaders in St. Paul, Minnesota were debating whether to give millions of taxpayer dollars to Minnesota United FC to help with the construction of a new soccer stadium, named Allianz Field. This included a mixed-use development around the new stadium. In 2016, the owner of Minnesota United FC showed the city council a 33-page master plan that outlined a “series of public spaces… Source ..read more

When an NFL team builds a new stadium, it is normal for the price of tickets at the new place to be higher than previous years at the old stadium. Some teams raise the price of all tickets around the new stadium, while others force their own fans to buy a personal seat license (PSL). This program allows a team to charge fans a one-time fee that grants the fan the right to buy tickets at that… Source ..read more

In 1996, the Miami Heat were losing the PR battle for a new basketball arena. The Miami Heat were trying to justify to the public why the team should be given a new sports arena on the public’s dime. As a former Heat political consultant wrote in 2004, as the referendum date got closer, the “arena project appeared to be doomed”. So how did they turn it around and win the vote? Source ..read more

Last night, I saw a very interesting article on a site called LaPresna.org. In it, they discuss a former San Diego Councilman (Byron Wear) going in front of the city four different times to push hard on approving a development project that would involve a new sports arena district. This in itself is not that odd. Except, in this case, it was a bit different since he wasn’t telling anyone that he was a paid consultant for the project. He was hiding his connection with the project. — San Diego Union-Tribune The project at issue originally envisioned a new “16,000-seat arena, 25,000 square feet o ..read more